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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Blog Tour: Remember the Past by Maria Grace - with giveaway!

Today I welcome the lovely Maria Grace to my blog who has just released her new story, Remember the Past. Maria has sent me a fascinating post about the Anatomy of a fan as well as an excerpt from her new book! I have been honoured with a review copy of this story so watch for my review in the next few weeks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for having me Sophie! It is so nice to get to
visit with you.

One of the things I enjoy most about the
writing process is the creation of memorable, three dimensional characters that
the reader can get to know and remember like an old friend.

In Remember
the Past, one of my favorite characters to create was Lady Catherine de
Bourgh. In this book, she ended up being
a very different character than from even what I envisioned at the start. She took a life of her own and insisted that
she break the typical mold.

One of her distinguishing
characteristics is her fans. Lady
Catherine always has a fan with her. While she does not use ‘the language of
the fan’ she does use her fan to express herself and make her point very clear
when speaking to her nephews, Darcy and Col. Fitzwilliam.

I had to do a bit of research on Regency
era fans in the process of developing her character and I learned a few
interesting things about fans that you might find as interesting as I did..

Several different forms of fans existed,
going in and out of style like most fashion accessories.

Fixed

The
earliest fans, often made of wood or feathers attached to a handle, did not
fold. Thus, they were called fixed. Their popularity faded with the convenience
of the folding fan.

Folding

Several forms of folding fans exist.

Brise’

Brise’
fans consists of sticks only with no leaf. Individual sticks that get wider
from the rivet to the top are fastened
together with a ribbon or decorative fabric band. The
sticks might be decorated individual with painting, gilding, piercing or
carving, or together to form a scene or image when opened. Inexpensive brise’ fans might be made of
wood. Ivory, tortoise shell and mother of pearl could be very fashionable.

Pleated

Pleated
fans are the most common folding fans. Sticks are held together at the bottom
rivet and a leaf or mount is attached to them. Leaves might be made from paper,
silk or other fabric, kid, lace, feathers or vellum.

Cockadefans were are a type of pleated fan
in which the stiff pleated leaf is attached to two sticks. The sticks open full circle and fasten
together to form a hand.

Cabriolet
fans are pleated fans with a leaf of
multiple, separate strips. These leaf
strips were made of chicken skin (vellum) since it was the only material strong
enough to withstand the wear and tear in such narrow bands.

Decoration

While useful, fans are most often
considered a fashion accessory and prized for their beauty.

Master artists and individual ladies
alike decorated fans with paintings on silk and paper leaves. Landscapes were
popular themes, as were the depiction of persons. Biblical and mythological
themes were favored by some, while others leaned toward caricatures. As demand
for decorative fans increased, designs were printed, rather than painted or
paper or silk, permitting the production of less expensive fans.

Here’s a little excerpt of the book so you can
get a peak of Lady Catherine in action with her fan.

Remember the Past

Aunt Catherine swept into Darcy’s office, her skirts
swooshing like the winds on the cusp of a thunderstorm.

“What can I do for you?” Darcy lowered his book enough
to catch a glimpse of her face. Hers was an expression he would just as soon
not see.

She thumped her hands on his desk. “What did you say to
her?”

“To whom?”

She shot him a milk-curdling glare.

Yes, he knew, but had no desire to discuss it. He lifted
his book a little higher. “I said nothing.”

“The poor girl was beside herself when she fled to her
room.” She pulled her fan from her pocket.

“Miss Elizabeth is in no way given to such inappropriate
displays.” No, she was not going to apply that instrument to him.

Distance, he needed distance. Perhaps the window…who was
he fooling? Little good it would do, but he had to try something to deter her.

She edged closer still, tapping her closed fan in her
palm. Shuck. Shuck. Shuck. He hated
that sound.

“Nothing. Fitzwilliam and I found the boys playing at
swords with the Admiral and Miss Elizabeth.” He stared over her head, anywhere
but at her.

Miss Elizabeth had been a sight, sword in hand. How
easily she eluded Fitzwilliam’s feints. Mesmerizing … He tugged his collar.

“She joined in their games?”

No, he would not acknowledge the question, not even with
a twitch.

“She assumed you disapproved—which is not at all
difficult, considering the fierce mien you usually wear.” The fan slapped his
cheek hard enough to sting.

“You go too far, madam.”

“I do not go far enough. Your mother would be horrified
by your lack of hospitality. My dearest Anne would never have stood for it.”

He glowered and sidestepped.

“The poor girl has been through enough. She does not
need you adding to her sorrow.”

Shuck. Shuck. Shuck.

“What are you talking about?” He ground his teeth and
stomped across the room. Away from that wretched fan.

“You are not a simpleton. You can puzzle it out.”

“I cannot fathom to what you allude.”

“Oy,” she chased him down. “What kind of reception do
you think a woman like her received from the ton?”

“You mean one sponsored by a prince, with a father as
decorated and connected as the Admiral, and possessing a handsome fortune?”

She flipped her fan open and fluttered it sharply. “Miss
Elizabeth is all those things as well as striking and intelligent,
unconventional and outspoken.”

“How does that signify?”

“Must I spell it out?”

“I have no time for this. Tell me plainly or leave me.”

“The poor dear has been treated infamously by no less
than three suitors, men more interested in her fortune and connections than in
her.” She folded her arms, tucking her fan into her elbow.

“Of what concern is this to me?”

“When she discovered their duplicity, she rejected them
soundly. Naturally, they spread vicious gossip about her to well-connected,
jealous women only too happy to take revenge on one so far above themselves in
fortune and consequence and character.”

Just one of the reasons he avoided London. “And I
imagine she told you of this herself.”

“Certainly not. The dear girl rarely speaks of herself,
or had you not noticed? No, it was her sister—after she inquired what were your
intentions toward Miss Elizabeth.” She poked him in the chest with her fan.

“My intentions?” He sputtered and edged backwards. If
his ears grew any hotter they would surely ignite. “They have been here less
than a se’nnight. What intentions—”

“You think you are subtle with those looks you and
Fitzwilliam give both those girls.”

“Enough, madam.”

“They are worthy young ladies. And their fortunes—”

“I am not in need of a woman’s fortune to fill my
coffers. Pemberley is quite solvent, thank you.” He strode to his desk.

“My Anne’s dowry—”

“Is set aside for her younger son. I have not touched a
pound of it, nor will I.”

“I am in no mood to give consequence to young ladies
slighted by other men.” He slammed his hands on the desktop.

“Stubborn man! At the very least, as a gentleman you
should apologize for discomposing her.”

“I do not wish to elevate—”

“Oh do not fear,” frost crackled on her voice, “she is
certain of your contempt. Your apology will not raise hopes she did not have to
begin with.” She swished a cloak of indignation around her shoulders and
stormed out.

Darcy shut the door behind her, emptiness filling his
belly until he sank into his favorite chair. What was more troubling, that
others saw his admiration for Miss Elizabeth, or that Miss Elizabeth could not?

He knew her to be upset, but the possibility of hurting
her was insupportable. Somehow, he had to rectify the misunderstanding. She
must not be somewhere in the world thinking ill of him.

Book Blurb:

Elizabeth Bennet’s father, Admiral Thomas Bennet, assures his daughters
that his retirement from His Majesty’s Navy will be the start of a new life for
them all. Little does he know his family's battles have only just begun.

Well-connected and in possession of a good fortune, their entry into
society should have been a triumph.
However, their long-awaited first season in London proves a disaster,
and the resulting scandal sends the Bennets fleeing to the wilds of Derbyshire.

Widower Fitzwilliam Darcy, the master of Pemberley, wants for nothing,
most especially not a wife. From the moment the Bennets arrive in Derbyshire,
Darcy’s neatly ordered life turns upside down. His sons beg to keep company
with their new playmates, the young Bennet twins. His mother-in-law sets her
cap for Admiral Bennet. Worst of all, Darcy cannot get his mind off a certain
bewitching Miss Elizabeth Bennet, but she has sworn never to let another
gentleman near her heart.

Darcy’s best efforts to befriend and assist the Bennet family go
horribly awry, alienating first Miss Elizabeth, then her father, and finally
endangering what both men hold most dear. Can the two men Elizabeth loves most
set aside their pride to prevent catastrophe for their families and win the
love they seek?

**GIVEAWAY - ends Tuesday 19th August **Maria has provided me a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive an ebook copy of Remember the Past. This giveaway is open internationally.

To enter, leave a comment below and the winner will be picked randomly.

Please leave your email address and which format you would like for the ebook.If you are the lucky winner, I will pass on your email to Maria who will be in touch. Good luck!Thank you again to Maria for this giveaway to for such a fun post and an intriguingexcerpt! I cannot wait to read it! I wish you all the best with this story as well as the future ones! As I said, watch for my review in the next few weeks!

Though Maria Grace has been writing fiction since she was ten
years old, those early efforts happily reside in a file drawer and are unlikely
to see the light of day again, for which many are grateful. After penning five
file-drawer novels in high school, she took a break from writing to pursue
college and earn her doctorate in Educational Psychology. After 16 years of
university teaching, she returned to her first love, fiction writing.

She has one husband, two graduate degrees and two black
belts, three sons, four undergraduate majors, five nieces, sown six Regency era
costumes, written seven Regency-era fiction projects, and designed eight
websites. To round out the list, she cooks for nine in order to accommodate the
growing boys and usually makes ten meals at a time so she only cooks twice a
month.

14 comments:

I had never used a fan until menopause. Now it's always with me though I've never used it to whack someone. How remiss of me. Great information Maria Grace. Thanks to you and Sophie my husband had best watch out!

Thank you so much for the information on the fans. I had a cabriolet fan I bought in Spain many years ago, but sadly, it never made it home. I very much enjoyed the e-book and most especially Lady Catherine. She was refreshing and likable. :-)

My mom and sister used to give demonstrations on fans, how they were made and the language of a fan!! Love this so much! I would love a PDF version of this book!My email address is dramaqueen4ever96@gmail.com

This was so interesting, thank you!! I've always loved fans, they are so pretty. I wish we still carried them! :) The book sounds lovely and the cover is beautiful!Kindle version i_lovenuk(at)hotmail(dot)com

Sounds like a wonderful book, thank you SO much for the awesome excerpt! Always love when the minor characters like Lady Catherine are brought to the forefront :) I think I like the Cabriolet and Decorative fans the best too :D

About Me

Welcome to my blog that I started when I was just 16. I am thrilled it now reaches Janeites all over the world who share my passion! Look out for reviews, tales of my regency adventures, and much more. I just love to spread the wit and wisdom of Jane Austen! Contact me: s.j.andrews@hotmail.co.uk